Gait analysis with curvature maps: A simulation study

TL;DR

This paper explores the use of curvature maps derived from depth camera data to analyze gait abnormalities, demonstrating potential for clinical applications in detecting neurological and musculoskeletal disorders.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach of using curvature maps from 3D body surface meshes for gait analysis, focusing on abnormal gait detection through simulation.

Findings

Curvature maps can highlight asymmetries in gait.

Simulated abnormal gaits show distinguishable features in curvature analysis.

Lays groundwork for future curvature-based gait assessment systems.

Abstract

Gait analysis is an important aspect of clinical investigation for detecting neurological and musculoskeletal disorders and assessing the global health of a patient. In this paper we propose to focus our attention on extracting relevant curvature information from the body surface provided by a depth camera. We assumed that the 3D mesh was made available in a previous step and demonstrated how curvature maps could be useful to assess asymmetric anomalies with two simple simulated abnormal gaits compared with a normal one. This research set the grounds for the future development of a curvature-based gait analysis system for healthcare professionals.